The Return
by xoredsoxnation21xo
Summary: When Eliot and Sarah's romance is discovered, they promise to meet at the lake again. But when Eliot shows up with no family, no money, and no explanation 2 years later, can they solve the mystery of why he is alone while rediscovering what they lost?
1. Prologue

**ok so this is by far the longest story i've written at 6, 590 words and 12 pages with 12 point font. It might even be longer than any school related thing I've written. It probably could be it's own story, but it has a bad ending for a story and good for a prologue! So please read it, even if its in bits and pieces. I promise that the rest of the story will be WAY WAY shorter. A fraction of this. Anyways, like always, I have two songs that helped inspire the story. The first is "Clocks" by coldplay for the part where they go to the movies until after the competition. The second is "In my arms" by plumb, from the end of the competition to the end of the story. Listen to them while you read! and then review please =]**

**disclaimer: i don't own anything, all rights goes to their owners, etc.**

Prologue

When I woke up that morning, it didn't feel like it was going to be an important day. Lorraine was hogging the bathroom, Henry was playing his clarinet, and the youngest twins were making a racket in the living room. But when I went down for breakfast, Jake wasn't there. He always would wait for me, and we would go swimming or boarding or whatever it was we were doing. Not today.

I scarfed down my breakfast, then ran outside to see where he could be. He wasn't at the park, not swimming, not in his room. I had almost decided to give up my search when the shouts of the Murtaughs rang across the lake. Normally, I tried to ignore them, but when the unmistakable squeals of my twin reached my ears, I furiously turned around. How could he do this? Abandon me for them?

I spun around and marched into the house. There was no way he was getting away this. "Mom!" I yelled towards the kitchen as I ran up to my room. "I'm taking a walk!"

* * *

Every step I took made me angrier and angrier. Besides the fact that Jake didn't even invite me along, he completely was disobeying Dad. Now, I know I wasn't one to follow the rules, but when he told us to stay away from the Murtaughs, I believed him when he said there would be severe punishment for anyone who disobeyed. There was something about the anger in his voice when he said their name that scared me into obedience.

As soon as I stepped onto their property, my confidence began to fade. What if Dad got pissed at me too? What if the Murtaughs were mad? What if it wasn't really Jake? But then I saw Jake jumping off their waterslide and suddenly my confidence had returned.

"Jake!" I screamed when I reached the water front. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He looked up from the water and turned red instantly. "Sarah! Umm…What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you! Dad's gonna flip if he finds you over here."

"Look, I know--It's just, Eliot saw me boarding the other day and invited me over to come swimming. I was gonna invite you, but you wouldn't wake up this morning!"

"Dad told us not to be here," I warned. "And I think he seriously meant it."

"Come on," he replied, pulling himself out of the pool. "He never means anything."

"Well, I'm almost positive that this time is the exception."

"Fine," he agreed, and we walked back to the house together.

* * *

"Where were you this morning, Jake?" My mom asked as we walked through the door.

"Umm…I was…" he stumbled, not having a reasonable alibi to provide.

"He was at the store," I interjected without thinking. "One of my wheels fell off yesterday, and he went to go get it fixed while I was sleeping."

"Oh, that's nice of you," my mom said to Jake. I couldn't tell whether she believed me or not, but I did know she was too tired to investigate further.

"Well, we are just gonna head over to the skate park…" I trailed off, stopped by the sudden glare that had become her facial expression.

"Sarah. You almost broke your neck yesterday. I don't think it's wise--"

"That wasn't her fault. It was that stupid Smith kid," Jake cut her off in my defense.

"Fine," she sighed. "But if you get hurt again, that's it for skating until we get home."

* * *

The park was empty, as usual, when we arrived shortly after three. I could never figure out why the park was built; it seemed like a waste of money. Nevertheless, I didn't publicize my doubts, for I was one of the few who actually appreciated its existence.

I walked over to the opposite end of the park from where I fell yesterday. I wasn't scared of the ramp, but I did believe my mom when she said I would be banned from boarding if I got hurt again. This was one thing I wouldn't risk my chances on.

I was up the air when he greeted me; I fell down in surprise. As I lay on the cold metal, I heard him call Jake over.

"Hey man! I think I might have scared your sister…"

Jakes step echoed through the ground. "You must have. What'd you do?"

"Nothing. Just said hey," he answered. "Though she was in the air…"

"That was it. She's been a little jumpy lately."

"Oh. Why'd you leave this morning?"

"Sarah found me. Looked like she was ready to murder me, too. I don't think our parents like each other…Apparently, my dad forbade us from talking to any of you guys."

"Since when does Jake Baker follow the rules?"

"Good point!" They laughed at his joke as I tried to stand up. The boy caught sight of me and ran over to help.

"Hey," he repeated. "I'm Eliot."

I smiled tentatively. I've never been a girly-girl, the type who wears Hollister or obsesses over guys, but Eliot started the so called "butterflies" in my stomach that I had been hearing Lorraine talk about for years. Not only was he attractive, but the way he helped her up made Sarah feel extremely self conscious and completely happy at the same time.

"I'm, uh, eh, Sarah," she stumbled over her words. "Jake's, eh, sister."

"I heard," he smiled.

* * *

"We'll be over tomorrow morning," Jake called as they walked away from the skate park. Eliot had convinced them to come wakeboarding the next morning with him. Even though I knew it could only end badly, I had agreed. Any chance to get closer to Eliot was something I was willing to do, no matter what the risk.

We walked awkwardly back to the house. I was sure Jake noticed my change in behavior around Eliot, but I had no idea what to say to him. I gathered up my courage and asked, "So. Eliot seems cool."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Cool?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, punching him in the shoulder.

"I bet you think he's more than cool," he teased. I'm, uh, eh, Sarah," he mimicked in a high, girly tone.

"Oh shut up!" I yelled, punching him again. "I was so not like that!"

"Pretty close to it."

"Really?" I asked, and I saw the look on his face falter as he saw that I really wanted to know.

"Nah," he sighed. "But what's with you? Since when do you go around acting all stupid and girly over a guy?"

I knew the conversation would lead here at some point, but I still didn't want to answer his question. "I don't know!" I replied, raising my voice. "I didn't want to! I just…couldn't help it."

"Well I think it's stupid."

"I think you're stupid! It's not my problem that you don't understand."

We walked in silence for a few minutes until we reached the entrance of our house, where Jake pulled me over. "Look," he started, starring at the ground. "I'm sorry. It's just so…not like you."

"Well cry me a river and get over it!" I argued, running up the stairs and slamming my door.

* * *

The last person I expected to see at my door was Lorraine. The only reasonable explanation I could think of was that she needed my mirror for some reason, and I decided to let her in.

"What do you want?" I snapped when she walked in.

"Attitude much?" she replied sarcastically, fixing her lip gloss. "I'm here to help you," she pronounced.

"With what?" I asked in disbelief, in awe at how badly this day had turned out since meeting Eliot.

"Your little guy friend!" She squealed.

"What? Jake told you?!" I shouted, racing off my bed. She caught me before I could find him and make him pay for telling her.

"He didn't know what to do! He said you were acting all weird over one of the Murtaughs," she smirked. "And that you liked some guy named Eliot or whatever. And I just had to help you!"

"I don't need you help," I grumbled, wishing this conversation would end already.

She was silent for a few moments before she replied. "Every time you think of him, does your heart start to race? Do your palms get sweaty? Do you suddenly lose your voice when he talks to you?" She questioned, walking to the door.

"Lorraine!" I yelled from my window was she was walking out of my room. "I need your help."

* * *

"I look stupid," I grumbled as Lorraine put the finishing touches on my makeup.

"No you don't," she insinuated. "Eli is gonna love you!"

"His name is Eliot," I corrected her.

"Whatever. But see, I just added some light eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. You really do look good!"

Despite what I had said previously, I was beginning to believe her. After all, Lorraine knew more about makeup and boys than any of us. "Thanks," I whispered, hoping she wouldn't hear me.

"Any day! I'm just so glad you're finally becoming a girl. Now what--"

I cut her off. "What do you mean, becoming a girl?"

"Your finally showing an interest in stuff besides skateboarding, and snowboarding, and like, dirt."

"Dirt?" I cringed. "Really Lorraine? That's what you think I like?"

"Look, that's not what I meant. I'm just trying to say that it's ok to like girl stuff, like makeup, and boy stuff, like skateboards. It doesn't have to be one or the other."

"Try telling that to Jake," I spat out, and tears started falling down my cheek. I realized the only reason I was being mean to her was because of Jake. I didn't know whether it was worth it, losing my best friend over some guy.

She came over to sit beside me. "I'm sorry about Jake. It sucks that he's acting this way, but inside I bet he's just scared."

"Scared?" I asked. "Why?"

"He doesn't want to lose you. All your life, its been you and him, the skateboarders of the family. And now your interested in guys and makeup."

Somehow Lorraine was actually making sense, but I didn't want her explanation to be true. "But I don't want to be interested in guys and makeup! I just can't help it…and besides, its not like I am completely abandoning him. I still want to skate."

"Maybe you should tell him that."

* * *

I found him sitting in the tire swing by the lake, just staring out at the water. I didn't want to disturb him, but the thought of continuing on our fight made me reach out and tap his shoulder. "Hey," I mumbled. "I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier."

"You should be," he spat out coldly, refusing to look at me. "And your makeup looks stupid. Trying to impress Eliot, eh?"

I couldn't comprehend why he was being so mean. Tears started forming in my eyes, but I began to try and apologize once again. "Look. I'm sorry about blowing you off to hang out with Lorraine…but just because I like Eliot or trying on some makeup doesn't mean that I am deserting skating. And if its too much for you to handle, then maybe we shouldn't hang out anymore." I felt bad about issuing the ultimatum, but I knew Jake. I started to walk away, hoping my plan would work.

"I'm sorry," he called, but I continued walking. "Sarah!" he looked around, unsure of what to say to make me forgive him.

"He doesn't have a girlfriend…" he trailed off as I turned around, and I knew that as well as granting his blessing he was also truly sorry.

* * *

Someone was shaking me awake, but I just ignored them and rolled over. "Sarah!" They whispered forcefully into my ear, and I dug down deeper into my covers.

Just as I thought they were leaving, I felt my covers being thrown off my bed. "What the hell, Jake?!" I bolted upright.

"We have to go."

"Go where?"

"Wakeboarding? Remember? You get to hang out with your little boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," I kicked him, stumbling out of my bed. "Goddamn, why do we have to leave at 5 in the morning?!" I exclaimed when I saw my alarm clock.

"Because mom and dad can't know." Good point. I wish I had thought of that before falling for Eliot. I just realized that even if he did like me, there was no way they would let me go out with him. "Oh, come on, Sarah. Cheer up," he added, for he must have seen my crestfallen face. "It's only a few hours of sleep…"

"It's not that," I cut him off. "Let's just get ready to go."

* * *

We arrived at their house at quarter to six to find Eliot and another older boy sitting on the steps. My heart started beating twice as fast when I caught sight of his face, but I just told myself to try and ignore it. Easier said than done, I acknowledged, as I breathed deeply before reaching their house.

"Hey," Eliot smiled. "This is Dan. He drives the boat."

"Cool," Jake replied, lifting his head in greeting. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"There's a wide, open space a few minutes from here," Dan told us. "It's far enough away that our parents can't see or hear us."

I breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing, at least our excursion would stay a secret.

* * *

"Just climb on in," Eliot told me, practically yelling over the roar of the boat engine. I placed my left foot in, nervous that I would fall and embarrass myself in front of Eliot.

I successfully navigated my way onto the boat, and went to go sit at the end, a little ways away from Jake. I figured Eliot would sit with Jake, and I decided it was safer to sit farther away, eliminating any chances to humiliate myself by losing my voice again.

"Hey," Eliot said, coming down to sit next to me. I was ecstatic that he had chosen me over Jake--a quick glance in Jake's direction told me he was not happy about this--but I was still nervous that something would go wrong.

"Hey," I replied, deciding to keep it simple.

"So, you, uh, wakeboard often?" Eliot asked me, apparently as nervous as I was.

"Umm, actually…" I considered lying, but decided against it. "I've never wake boarded before."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief.

"Ya…I'm hoping it won't be too hard."

"I can teach you. It's not that bad."

"Ok," I smiled.

* * *

We got back to the dock 3 hours later, tired and hungry. Dan drove us back to their house in his Jeep, and let us out in the woods so we could walk home.

I heard the car start moving when we were almost 50 feet away. Suddenly, Eliot came running up behind us. "Sarah!" He shouted, and I stopped walking. Jake sped up.

"Whats up?" I swallowed, unsure of what he was doing.

"Umm…I had fun today," he panted, having just sprinted over to me. I smiled, encouraging him to go on. "I was wondering…do you maybe want to get together again? Sometime? Without Jake…" he trailed off and looked around the dirt road, and I resisted the urge the scream in happiness.

"You mean as friends?" I asked, hoping the answer was no.

He breathed deeply before answering, trying to build up his confidence. "No. As a date."

I hadn't felt this happy since I had gotten my new skateboard at Christmas. "Sure!" I smiled, then stopping, not wanting to seem over excited.

"So, you want to go to the movies this Saturday or something?"

"Umm…ya. I can get my sister to drive us if you want," I offered, hoping Lorraine would help me.

"Cool. I'll meet you here at 7 on Saturday," he confirmed, smiling.

"Yeah. I'll see you then."

I was about to walk away when he leaned in and kissed my cheek. Smiling, he turned and walked away, back towards the car and his waiting brother.

* * *

"How do I look?" I asked Lorraine, stepping out of my closet. She had insisted on spending an hour on my hair and makeup, and I felt foolish, like a kindergartener who has stumbled upon her mom's jewelry box.

"Amazing! Eliot's going to adore you!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. Lorraine had picked out my outfit the moment I told her about my plans.

I wanted to believe her as I looked into the full length mirror she had brought into my room. My brown hair was blown out by Lorraine, and the dark jean shorts and new blue tank top I had on felt uncomfortable. But having no expertise in the matter, I decided to trust Lorraine.

Suddenly, Jake walked though the door. "Wow," he commented. "Not too shabby. For a skater," he laughed as I smiled, glad our argument was finally behind us.

"Well, are you ready to go?" Lorraine asked me, trying to push things along faster. I had to wonder whether or not she just wanted to see if Eliot's older brother, Dan, was good looking or not, especially since she had spent as much time on her hair and makeup as on mine.

"Are you?" I retorted and she began to blush, glaring at me as Jake and I resisted laughing.

"Come on, let's go," she sighed, giving up, and we left the house.

* * *

We pulled up to the park to find Eliot sitting their. Lorraine gave a little grunt, disappointed that Dan wasn't there.

"Sad your boyfriend isn't here?" I teased her, not able to pass over such an opportunity.

"Sad your boyfriend is?" She retorted, barely making any sense yet hurting me anyways. "Sorry," she added after she saw my face fall.

Eliot started walking over when he saw us pull all the way up. He looked both ways, as if making sure no one was watching, before climbing in next to me in the back. "Hey," he smiled, settling in.

"Hey," I smiled, not sure what else to say.

It was quiet for a few minutes. I didn't know what I should say. Should I ask him how his vacation has been so far? Should I ask him about the movie? Should I ask him about his life?

"So Eliot," Lorraine said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts. I begged her silently not to say anything embarrassing to him. "Tell me about your family." Typical.

"Well," he started, unsure exactly why she was asking. "I had 7 brothers and sisters, and--"

"Do you have any older siblings?" She cut him off before he could continue.

"Umm, ya," he continued, taken aback. "There's Dan, my older brother…"

I smacked Lorraine in the back of the head through the head rest. If she even thought about getting a date out of this, there would be much more coming to her than just a slap on the head.

* * *

First he insisted on buying me my ticket. Then he insisted on buying me a drink, then popcorn, then candy. "Eliot," I sighed. "I don't need you to pay for me. I have money."

He looked down at his feet, embarrassed. "I know…Dan just said that I should buy you your ticket, and food, and stuff…"

"I don't think he wanted you to buy me the entire snack counter though," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Good point," he agreed. "I'm sorry, I'm just…really nervous. I've never actually been on a date before."

I silently sighed in relief within my head. My biggest fear was that Eliot was experienced, that he expected me to be too…"Don't worry. Neither have I."

"You haven't?" he repeated in disbelief as I shook my yes. "I thought…you must have had boyfriends before."

"No," I laughed, wishing it were true. "That's what I thought about you! I mean, obviously girlfriends instead of boyfriends," I trailed off, trying to stop making a fool of myself.

"Maybe we should stop making assumptions about each other," he smiled, taking my hand and leading me towards the theater.

* * *

Lorraine was waiting outside the theater when our movie was over, sparing us the awkward Is that her? conversation in the cool night weather. It was a relatively quiet ride, but as we pulled around the corner to the skate park, I realized I had no clue what to do when we got there. Should I just say bye? Should I follow his lead? Should I walk after him?

Lorraine parked the car when we got there and Eliot leaped out. I must have looked around frantically, for Lorraine mouthed go, gesturing for me to follow him.

I jumped over the door of her convertible and walked over to the spot where he was waiting. "I, um, had a good time tonight," I said, unsure of what else to do.

"Yeah. Me too," he agreed, grinning. I could hear Lorraine sighing, "Oh! They are just too cute," in my head, but I was sure that was exactly what was going through her head. "You want to do something again sometime?" he squeaked out. "I would be more specific if I knew what you liked but--"

"No assumptions," I answered for him, smiling. "I'd love too."

He sighed in relief. "Great. What about tomorrow?"

"Maybe you could teach me some tricks. I hear your pretty good."

"Decent," he shrugged. "I'll meet you at 10?"

"Sounds great," I smiled as he hugged me.

* * *

"So?!" Lorraine questioned excitedly as I got back in the car. I was amazed that she had been able to keep quiet the entire ride. "How was it? What did he say? Did he pay for your ticket? Oh! Did he do the yawn-arm thing? Did he--"

"Lorraine!" I yelled. "If you don't let me talk, then you are never going to know."

"Fine," she pouted, anxious to start off with her questions again.

I weighed my options in my head. Tell her, and receive more help with makeup and clothes and advice. Don't tell her, and torture her, and possibly still receive the help, but possibly lose it.

"Well," I started, deciding to tell her but drag it out as much as possible. "First we got to the theater. Then he paid for my ticket--"

"Oh, he did!" She cut me off. "That's so cute, and so gentlemanly, you--"

"Lorraine!" I yelled again. "If you want to know, it means I tell the story and you listen. No commentary."

"Fine," she sighed again, signaling me to continue on.

"Then we went to the candy bar and he bought me more stuff, but I told him I didn't want it, and we talked for a little. He's never had a girlfriend! I couldn't believe it. But then again he thought I had had boyfriends before, so…Anyways, we went to the movie. It was ok. Yes, he did the 'yawn-arm thing' or whatever you want to call it," I answered one of her questions as she smiled. "But he did it by cracking his neck or something."

"Really? I've never seen that one done before," she injected, unable to help herself. I was about to yell at her again when I realized that this was the first time in our entire lives that Lorraine and I had actually bonded, but that come fall she would be moving away to New York. None of the kids had yet to discuss her moving. I knew none of them would really admit to missing her, but I was sure some of them would, and that I now could count myself among the few.

* * *

The following weeks were by far the best of my summer. Every morning Lorraine woke me up early to do my hair and makeup while teaching me "everything I needed to know about guys (at 13)." How she managed to know so much information was beyond me, but then I remembered that she was a blonde, scantily clad cheerleader.

Around 11, Jake and I would go down to the park and meet Eliot. It took me a couple of days to convince Jake to come with me, but I wasn't too worried. He couldn't stay away forever.

When Eliot said he was "decent" at boarding, he was wholeheartedly lying. He was the best skater I'd ever seen in person, able to perform tricks I've only dreamt about. Pretty soon, though, he had me trying--and failing--them all.

One day he had me trying this one really hard trick. He had taught me so many new ones, I couldn't even remember the name of this one. I knew that I would never be able to land it, but he wouldn't accept no for an answer.

I sighed and looked over the edge of the ramp. "Here goes nothing," I whispered quietly and started off.

It wasn't too bad until I tried to turn. Instead of spinning around, I lost my grip and fell flat on my back.

"Sarah!" he yelled, running over to help me as I groaned in pain. That was by far the hardest I had ever fallen. "Are you ok?"

I tried sitting up, finding that it was possible only by leaning almost all of my weight on my arms. "Yeah," I sighed. "Perfect."

"No your not," he rebuked. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. It's just…you have so much potential."

I hated the word potential. It was constantly in use describing me, from my school teachers to friend's mothers to even my own parents. I always had potential; never any skill.

Somehow a tear managed to find its way down my cheek. "What? Did I saw something wrong? Are you really hurt? We need to bring you to your house…Damn, they can't know though…" Eliot started rambling.

"No," I said wiping the lone tear away. Should I tell him? Or should I just lie?

I wished Lorraine was here. She would know what to do. Quickly, I flipped back in my brain to our lessons, hoping she had said something that would help.

_Don't lie. Unless it has to do with stuff that doesn't matter, like I hate chocolate when you really like chocolate but you don't want to get any because your trying to lose 10 pounds. But you probably shouldn't lie period, though, because they always end up figuring out._

Ok, don't lie. But that didn't seem to apply enough to this situation…I mean, technically, I could be crying because it hurt.

_And, please, try and take down that wall you have._

_What wall?_

_You have this wall, Sarah. You never let anybody in. _

_I don't have a wall!_

_You do. It's like…your scared people will see the real you and that they won't like it, so instead you don't let them see you at all. If it's really meant to be, then he'll like what he sees. And if he doesn't, then it wasn't going to work anyways. _

If I was going to listen to Lorraine, then I had to tell him, had to let him in. "I'm not hurt that bad," I insinuated.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing…It's just, I hate the word "potential." It's how everyone describes me. I could be good, I could be talented. I never am." I answered, looking down at the ground. I prayed that letting down the wall would turn out for the better.

"Sarah, you are talented!" he responded in surprise. "I'm sorry if I upset you, but--you could be **so **good. Better than me. Just because you aren't right now doesn't mean that you aren't good."

"Thanks," I smiled as he helped me stand up, and I was once again thankful that Lorraine was here for one last summer.

* * *

Before I knew it, the annual summer competition was here. Dad was insanely uptight about it this year. "We will win! At all costs!" he could be quoted as saying at random times throughout the summer.

When I talked to Eliot about it, he said Mr. Murtaugh was the same way, but that he had never been that way before. Why our parents were acting like this, we couldn't understand.

The competition was fairly normal. And just like every year, the Murtaughs won. No one really cared too much except Dad. Even when Mom went to go talk to him, he wouldn't come out of the basement.

We all shrugged it off, though. Charlie went back to sneaking away to see Beth, Jessica and Kim went back to doing their research, and Henry went back to playing the clarinet. Jake and I returned to the skate park with Eliot, but it was different. Each year, the summer competition marked the end of the summer. It meant there was one week left before we headed home and started school again. But this year, it meant one week before the inevitable break up of my first boyfriend and I.

I couldn't sleep the night after the competition. It wasn't that pretending I hated my boyfriend was all that hard, but that the fact that within one week we would heading home kept gnawing at my heart.

I slipped on a pair of jeans and a tank top. Sliding into a pair of flip flops, I walked out of the house and into the fresh morning air. It was only 6:30, and the world was calm and peaceful.

I found myself walking towards the skate park, where I had spent the majority of my summer. The ramps held a peace for me, something that I doubted anyone besides Jake would understand.

As I turned the corner to enter the park, I saw someone sitting on one of the ramps. Walking closer, I saw Eliot perched on the ramp where we first met. He was staring out into space, and I felt like I was stealing something from him; a piece of him that wasn't mine to see.

I slowly crept towards him, longing to turn around the entire time but knowing this was the right path. "Hey," I said, tapping his shoulder.

He turned to look at me, shifting his entire body. "Hey," he smiled as I sat beside him. "What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep," I replied meekly, feeling as if every word I spoke was disrupting the unspoken oath of silence of the morning,

"Me neither." Resting my head against his shoulder, we stared out at the woods for a while.

"Eliot…what's going to happen next weekend? When we have to leave?" I asked suddenly, unable to ignore the uncertainty any longer.

"What do you mean, what's going to happen to us?" He questioned as I sat up to face him.

"Eliot, you live three hours away from me. How is that supposed to work when neither of us can drive and we are basically forbidden from seeing each other?"

He stared off into the forest again, thinking about how to approach my question. There was no good answer; I myself didn't even know what I wanted.

"I think….I think maybe we should just try and live with what we have," he replied slowly. "It's better to spend our last week together and break up then try and make something work that just won't…" he trailed off, not liking what he was saying. "Maybe we should just say that from September to June, we'll just be friends…and next summer, we'll come back, and see if we still feel the same way."

* * *

Walking down towards the lake, we remained silent, simply enjoying the company and early morning stillness. By this time, it was 7:30, but being caught wasn't on either of our minds.

"Gonna stick your feet in? Or is it too cold for you?" Eliot teased as we reached the lake. I shook of my flip flops and ran ahead to the water, unable to resist the challenge.

"Perfect!" I called back, lying through my teeth. The water was already numbing my feet, but I was determined to win. "Now the question is whether or not you are brave enough to come join me!"

He shook off his sneakers and ran into the shallowest part of the water before stopping, and started walking toward me. "Not cold at all," he replied sarcastically. "It's practically like bath water."

"I know!" I agreed satirically. "In fact, I think you should go swimming if you think its that warm."

"Swimming?" he questioned. "Well I think you should get a little wet!" he grinned, and bent over to splash me with some of the icy water.

The water smattered all over the front of my tank top. It was freezing cold on my skin, a hundred times worse than it felt on my feet. I immediately jumped up, taken back by the temperature and the fact that he had actually splashed me.

Suddenly, his laughter began ringing in my ears as I turned to look at him. He was laughing so hard he was holding the side of his stomach and tears were coming out of his eyes. "What's so funny?" I demanded, and he just continued laughing.

_Fine, _I thought. _Two can play that game, _and I proceeded to splash him back, starting an all-out war.

Over the course of 10 minutes my tank top and jeans became almost completely soaked as well as my hair. Patches of dark blue had appeared on Eliot's t shirt, darkened by the water. We were both shivering from the frigid temperatures, but neither of us refused to give up, our laughter and squeals echoing around the lake.

Finally, Eliot pulled me over, grabbing me by the waist. "You win," he smiled, and leaned in to kiss me.

My first kiss wasn't what I would call "magical." We were standing in shallow, murky lake water that probably wasn't above 65º, and my stomach was growling for breakfast. Despite that though, it managed to be just what I wanted.

Until I heard the splashes of water behind us.

* * *

The best moment of my entire summer quickly turned into my worst as I saw my dad standing behind the two of us. Jake was standing behind him, his eyes apologizing profusely.

He marched us back to the house, throwing out towels and making us sit on the porch. We sat in one corner, quietly whispering and holding hands.

"You think your Dad's gonna be really mad?" I asked.

"I would say extremely pissed," he answered painfully. "Last time Dan dated a girl he wasn't allowed to, he got sent to military school for his sophmore year. He's never disobeyed my father again."

"I'm sorry," was all I could think of saying.

"Don't be," he replied, looking out at the water. "Are you parent's going to be mad?"

"Probably," I answered. "Though I think it's just my Dad. My mom's probably just happy that I have an interest in something besides skateboarding and sports."

"I bet Sarina won't care," Eliot mused. "She just wants us to be happy…But my Dad, it's this whole stupid competition he has with your Dad. I don't understand it."

That's when both of our fathers walked out onto the porch. We split apart faster than I knew possible, Eliot leaping over to the next chair. It wasn't fast enough, though; both of the father's gave us disapproving glances.

"I cannot even begin to say how disappointed I am in you two!" My dad started to yell. "Sneaking behind our backs, after being forbidden to even talk to one another, and I find you making out in the lake!" Mr. Murtaugh continued, as if they had planned out what they were going to say.

"So I will say it again. You are **forbidden** from seeing each other. This time, we will make sure of it," my dad scolded, and both parents walked back into the house.

We sat on the deck for a long time after that. It was hard to acknowledge that it was only nine in the morning, for it had felt like an entire summer had passed between slipping into my jeans this morning and where I was now.

After a while I stood up and went to go stare out at the water, anxious to break the awkward silence that had hung in the air since their departure, and Eliot followed.

"So…I guess this is goodbye," I swallowed, wanting my words to be pure fiction.

"Something tells me they are going to stick to their word," he agreed. A new, mellow tone appeared in his voice; I wanted to do anything to make it go away.

"It's not forever, though. Right?" I asked, taking his hand. "I mean, there's next summer. And…I can give you my cell phone number. You can just put me in as a fake contact," I chuckled, remembering the many times Lorraine had disguised her current boyfriend as one of her friends.

"He'll figure it out," he sighed, melancholy ringing through his 4 words.

"I'm gonna miss you, Jake," I said sorrowfully. He leaned down and kissed me once again, lingering only for a moment, before walking back towards his house.

I never saw him again.

* * *

**hope you liked it! one of my friends read it before hand and said she felt like sarah was acting older than she really was, but alyson stoner was only 11 when they filmed cheaper by the dozen. review!!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: ok so this basically is just an add on to chapter 1...i didn't realize that i had already posted it, but i like it better full this way. sorry it took so long to update, but i like long chapters for this story (: read and review!**

**Chapter 1**

"_Sarah!" Jake yelled. "Come on! Let's go see if Eliot's home!"_

"_Are you sure this is a good idea?" I yelled down, checking over my outfit for the 5th__ time since arriving._

"_Come on, your not scared are you? I saw you doing your makeup earlier!"_

"_Did not!" I screamed back, lying. Truth was, I was scared out of my mind to see Eliot, my kind-of ex from last summer. I ran down the stairs, trying to prove that I was ready to go._

"_Yeah, you're totally not into him. That's why you're wearing your pushup bra and slutty shorts," Jake laughed. How did he know about those?"_

"_Think what you wanna think, let's just go."_

* * *

_The doorbell echoed through the house, but no one came to greet us. After waiting 5 minutes, we tried the door. It was open._

_We walked through the opening, searching for any signs of life. The house was a wreck, with clothes and toys thrown all over the foyer. The kitchen was no better, with cookware scattered around the counters. There's no way this is real, I though. The Murtaughs would never leave the house in such a disarray.

* * *

_

I searched for the snooze button, head still buried in the pillows. When I failed to find it, I quickly sat up, wanting the screeching ring to go away. Before unplugging it, I glanced at the time: 5:43, last day of sophomore year.

I lugged myself into the shower, knowing if I didn't now someone else would take my place. As I washed my hair, images of my dream came flooding back to me, reminding me of the day two years ago that still left me clueless.

* * *

"Hey," I smiled, slipping my hand into Dan's.

"I'm out," Jake quickly walked away, as he always did when Dan was around. His tolerance of my boyfriend, Dan, was about the same as his of the Jonas brothers.

"Sorry about him," I apologized. I started to talk to him when I felt his hand leave mine.

He turned to face me. "Look, Sarah," he started, and I knew this couldn't be good. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" I repeated, stunned to be given the traditional breakup line.

"Yeah…It's just, I think we should breakup. I'm going to be away all summer, and I think it's just pointless to be all tied up…" I mentally finished the sentence in my head. _I think it's pointless to be all tied up when I could be hooking up with girls all summer long._

I choked on my words, barely able to comprehend being dumped on the last day of sophomore year. This was supposed to be one of the best days of the year, not the worst.

Nevertheless, I was determined not to cry. "Yeah," I choked out. "Doesn't make lots of sense."

He could tell that I was upset. "Look, Sarah, I'm sorry. But I'm going to be away at soccer camp all summer long. And didn't you say that you were thinking of getting a job near your grandparents place?"

I could not believe his justification for breaking up with me, never mind him even trying to justify it at all. I did the only thing I could think of: walk away.

* * *

"No offense, Sarah, but I told you he was a tool," Jake said to me as we drove home, him in the driver's seat.

I stared right out of the windshield, blocking the tears that wanted to fall from my eyes. I knew that Jake was trying to make me feel better, but it only made it feel worse.

"What kind of guy breaks up with his girlfriend of almost a year on the last day of school? And in the process, basically tells her that he is breaking up with her so he can hook up with other girls?" I managed to choke out.

"Complete Asses. Like Dan," he answered, right on cue.

* * *

We arrived home to one of the traditional Baker family meetings after stopping for some lunch. Mom stared us down, silently scolding us for arriving late to a conference we didn't now about.

"Now that everyone is here," Dad eyed us, "we can begin. Your mother and I called this meeting because of an…opportunity that recently arisen."

"Get on with it!" a whiny voice barked from the telephone, and I recognized it instantly as Lorraine, my annoying, 21 year old sister. An outbreak of agreement from the remaining 9 of us at home started instantly.

"We've been offered the lake house again, but we have to decide tonight."

The news flashed in my head. Memories of summers past came flooding back, both good and bad. The last time we had been to the lake house was the summer before last, but when I remembered this morning, I decided to jump at the chance to get away. "Let's do it," I yelled, and everyone turned to me.

"Since when would you want to leave your precious Dan?" one of the twins yelled out. Ever since they had hit puberty, they wouldn't shut up about my love life.

"Since now," I snapped, running out of the room. "Since we broke up."

* * *

As expected, my mom knocked on the door to my room 15 minutes later. I was sitting on the edge of my window, looking out to our backyard when she let herself in.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"Not really," I answered, still fighting the eventual tears and refusing to look at my mom.

"Okay, well…If you want to talk about it, I'm here. So is your dad, or Lorraine, or Jake. Even Nora would talk to you if you want."

Was she crazy? Suggesting that I talk to Lorraine, who could get any guy she wanted, or Nora, who is so perfect she's never been dumped in her life, or even Jake, who had warned me since the beginning? Or her or Dad, who not only never liked Dan but never liked me dating period?

"Sure, Mom, because you guys would really understand," I responded dubiously.

"You might not realize it, but everyone of those people on those list has experienced just as much heart break as you have," she rebuffed, walking out the door. "And you might want to pack your bags. We are leaving in the morning."

* * *

The car ride was long and obnoxious, but all I could think about was getting away. The water, the fresh air…All I could hope was that it would be as good as a breakup tool as Ben and Jerry's.

As soon as we got their, I bounded out of the car, grabbed my stuff, and slammed the door to my room. I just wanted to be alone to think, not to be bothered by any of my countless siblings. The air was still awkward between Mom and I; and I knew she was sensitive enough not to bother me.

However, Jake apparently lacked that knowledge. After 5 minutes alone, he barged into my room.

"So," he started, standing in the doorway. "When's this pity party gonna end?"

I was shocked he would say such a thing. "What do you mean, pity party?" I rebutted viciously, turning to face him.

"This slamming the doors, refusing to help, thinking that just because some lame-ass guy dumped you that you're the only person in this family that can experience pain?" He remarked just as icily. I didn't know I had been that obvious.

"I'm not having a pity party," I spat out, but I didn't want to fight. "It's just…I don't know, this is my first real breakup. With Eliot, it kind of just fell apart, and Matt moved away. I've never been…dumped," I sighed.

He came down to sit down on the bed next to me. "Look, getting dumped sucks. I've been on the receiving end of the that stick way to many times, and it takes time to get over it. But you can't be this cynical. It's not your fault, Sarah. Dan's just a dick."

I chuckled lightly. Jake always knew how to cheer me up, and his sensitivity was practically non existent. "Yeah, I guess…So who are these girls who have dumped you? I need to send them a thank you note."

The next few days, Mom sent us all to the task of detoxifying the house. I managed to act cheery around everyone else, saving my tears for night, but I had a feeling I wasn't fooling any of them.

Jake and I were fixing up the dock when we started talking about the Murtaughs, remembering the day we discovered their disappearance.

"Do you think they'll come back?" Jake asked.

"I don't know," I sighed, remembering the promises Eliot and I had made to come back next summer.

"You ever think about him?" Jake turned and inquired, catching me off guard.

"You mean Eliot? Yeah, sometimes…He was a good friend," I reminisced, hoping to avoid any awkward territory.

"Yeah, a friend you happened to enjoy making out with," he laughed. There went the awkward territory sign; we were already in waist deep.

"Hey!" I complained. "I'm allowed to have boyfriends. Besides, I've caught you making out with one of my friends on more than one occasion."

"Yeah, yeah," he blushed. "I still think you and Eliot were worse than me and Becca."

* * *

The first week of summer passed uneventfully. Slowly, I was starting to get over Dan; I was crying less and less at night. I guess my older siblings didn't get the message, though, for Lorraine came to talk to me one evening about my "depression."

"Hey," she had said hesitantly, coming to my doorway.

"What's up?" I asked, letting her in.

"Look, Sarah, I'm gonna go straight to the point. We are concerned for you. Me, Charlie, Jake, even Nora--I think you're taking the break up a little too hard," she lectured.

I sat there, shocked. Had they had some type of meeting to discuss my feelings? Was Lorraine some type of elected liaison? Why was this any of their business?

"Loraine, I appreciate the thought, but I'm not taking it hard," I tried to dissuade her.

"Sarah, my room's right next to yours. You cry yourself to sleep every night. It's been 10 days since you guys broke up. We're concerned," she pleaded.

"What, that I'm gonna hurt myself? Lorraine, I'm fine," I insisted.

"Look, Sarah. You may be getting over it, but there's no use being in denial. I know that this is your first major breakup, and that you guys were going out for practically forever, but this really isn't helping you," she reasoned.

"Well, sorry for not being able to handle it carefully!" I yelled, tears starting to flow down my cheek as I lost my temper. "I'm sorry that I had my heart broken, and all you guys seem to care about is my disruption of your sleep!"

"Sarah!" She shouted out in disbelief. "We are trying to help you," she said as she walked over to where I was standing and looking out the window, trying not to cry harder. "I know this is a sensitive subject, and I can't tell you how long it's going to take or how much it's going to hurt, but all of us went through the exact same thing. We want to help you."

"You've never been dumped, Lorraine. You're the dumper, not the dumpee," I spat out.

"What are you talking about? Do you remember the kid Josh I used to be in love with my sophomore year? We went out for 4 months--longest relationship I've ever had--before he dumped me. For my best friend. They were together for a week. Trust me, Sarah, I know what you're going through," she explained. I never knew it before, but Lorraine actually seemed human, someone who actually felt feelings like hurt and regret.

I wiped the tears along my face. "Sorry," I apologized meekly. "I didn't know."

"It's ok. No one does," she said. I tried to imagine how she pulled it off, never letting anyone know what happened.

She pulled me into a hug, and we sat there for a few moments before a low, ringing sound echoed through the house.

"I'll get it!" I screamed as I leaped down the stairs, eager to escape the dissection of my depression.

I swung open the door, expecting the mail man or maybe one of the neighbors.

Instead, I saw an extremely good looking 16 year old guy staring back at me, skin bronzed and hair spiked up.

"Eliot?" I squeaked out. "What…What are you doing here?"


End file.
